More specifically, the present invention relates to a folding method and device for closing the end of a substantially elliptical-section, tubular wrapping for a group of cigarettes; the tubular wrapping being housed inside a radial conveying pocket of a packing wheel; said section having a major axis substantially parallel to a travelling direction of the relative pocket; the tubular wrapping having a longitudinal axis crosswise to said travelling direction and to said major axis, and comprising at least one end portion projecting from one end of said group; and the method comprising the steps of folding said end portion onto the relative end of said group to form three first and three second folded flaps located on opposite sides of said major axis; the first and the second flaps comprising a respective central flap and two respective lateral flaps; and each of said second flaps being specular with a corresponding said first flap, and being located between said major axis and said packing wheel.
To close the ends of tubular wrappings of the type described above, packing wheels are used comprising a number of conveying pockets, each housing a respective tubular wrapping positioned as described above, and each having a respective number of folding members fitted to the packing wheel.
The presence of the folding members obviously seriously complicates the structure, and so reduces the reliability, of the packing wheels.